Clowning Around

The Woody Clowns contacted me about getting together because they had a little 'surprise' for me. You can't imagine the wonderings that filled my head in the days preceding this meeting. I don't know what it is about me and clowns. I think I have some childhood issues I need to resolve! Anyways, I was certain I would be explaining to the owners of Leopard Forest why there were clowns in the cafe. And I was mildly afraid that I was going to be clown-napped. I left most of the children at home for this reason: ) I only brought one to keep me company should we end up in the circus.
As usual, the Woody clowns surprised me, pleasantly! They are really SO nice and not scary. If any of you have clown issues, like me, they are the clowns to meet!! They did not show up with little red noses, big shoes and brightly colored hair and the only clown-napping that was imminent would have been of my own planning. With only one vehicle (van is begin repaired for cooling system failures...imagine that in this heat??!!) we did juggle a few ideas for carpooling to the Greenwood mecca of letterboxes together before school starts.
My surprise from Paula of the Woody Clowns was a plb of a clown car! It was perfect!! Also, Threespoiledboxers passed on a HILARIOUS cootie! Be on the lookout for the BP cootie, coming to a boxer near me..SOON!!

Threespoiledboxers and a new boxer, Armymom, also showed up. Yep, another mini-gathering: ) We are all looking right at home in the coffee shop aren't we?
Armymom was well indoctrinated and I am sure left with her head in a whirl..postals, cooties, exchanges... She still seemed more excited, not less, when she left. I think that's a good sign that she is one if us!
So for all of those boxers I asked to come in after me, should I not make it out alive...I made it! And who knows, I might even become a clown for a day myself one of these days?
Especially if there is a letterbox involved!

That's Just WEIRD!!!

While browsing a local Barnes and Noble a very special book caught my eye. In large fiery letters I saw the words WEIRD CAROLINAS. Touristy type things usually lose me, but you say WEIRD and you've got me! This book claimed to show and tell some of the weirdest places and stories in SC and NC. This seemed to me almost like a letterbox planters guide book! I didn't purchase the book that day, but since I couldn't stop imagining what was in between the hard cover of this captivating book, I finally used my Amazon certificate I'd been saving for a rainy day and got it.
The book arrived via UPS today and has been in somebody's hands all day. Fender Bender was the first to be hypnotized by the strange tales and as soon as I saw him set the book down, I grabbed it. Now Large Talons is being drawn into it's mysterious web. It feels like The Deathly Hallows all over again. We are each just waiting for a chance to get our hands on it again. And 'd' has yet to open it. As soon as he gets home, he will have to pry it out from under somebody's pillow, I am sure! There is so much fun information in these pages that it is impossible to absorb it all in one day. And after you read it you will be ready to get in your car and GO see them. After all, they are right in your state!
With chapter titles like, Local Legends, Bizarre Beasts, Roadside Oddities, Road Less Traveled and Cemetery Safari, you can see why our attention has been captured. This book is full of strange stories about the towns and cities near us, like the UFO Welcome Center in Bowman, SC. There are strange sights like Vollis Simpson's Whirligig Park in Wilson, NC . There are strange people like the Button King of Bishopville, SC and there's the Bureaus of Biggism in High Point, or how about the bottle farm on the outskirts of Forest City, NC. Judaculla Rock, Elmwood Cemetery and Poinsett Bridge are also featured.
When I see names of the counties and towns listed I can't help but imagine all of the letterboxers that go with those places as I read. Here are box ideas begging to be made and hidden, many of them already have!
What's even cooler about this book, is that it is part of a series based on Weird US. There is a book for most states! Somewhere near you there is a weird tale waiting to be told. Check this book out, I am sure you won't regret it. I am also secretly hoping that a letterboxing boom will come on the tails of this wonderfully weird knowledge.

Do I Need a 12 Step Recovery Program?

Yep, I finally have to admit it, I am a hopeless letterboxing addict.
There are lots of ways to identify a letterboxing addict: inky fingers, stashes of PZ cut, a stream of strange packages in your mailbox, seeing places to hide boxes everywhere you go. These are all the usual symptoms.
But I am getting way past all of that. Today as I was spray painting my Lock-N-Locks with the Krylon camo paint, I knew I had gone past the point of no return. This used to be a hallmark sign to me that the planter was a die hard boxer!! Camo painted boxes are awesome. Especially when you are getting ready to plant about 20 new boxes. You just lay out your boxes and spray. 15 minutes later you are done and your boxes are beautiful. Camo duct tape is a thing of the past! I'll save it for the double sealed ziploc baggies.
But that's not all.
Some of you may remember that one reason our family ended up letterboxing and not geo-caching was that we didn't have a GPS. After discovering letterboxing, I decided we wouldn't be needing a GPS. Times have changed. I've got to get one of those things!! As a matter of fact, technology has been calling me like never before and why? Because of letterboxing!
I NEED the GPS so I don't get lost when I leave my mapquest directions at home.
I NEED an iPOD, so I can download clues to keep with me!
I NEED a laptop so I can race resQlou to log those finds in as soon as I get them. And so I can write on this blog from anywhere.
I NEED a cell phone so I can meet any letterboxer anywhere, anytime!
How have I lived this long without all of this wonderful technology?
I guess I wasn't addicted to letterboxing back then.

It's About the Journey

When we first began letterboxing, this was absolutely true. We letterboxed for the places we got to go. As we have increased our F-count, there have been times when we set out to box with a numeric goal in mind. Today we are going to find x number of boxes and then our F count will be x! Often we are rewarded with a great journey in spite of ourselves. But the rushing around can be frustrating. Sometimes it causes us to miss out on really enjoying some of the places folks have put boxes at for us to enjoy.
This week, the girls and I had the joy of finding only 2 boxes on a day we had set out to find almost 15!! We headed to Fletcher Community Park (near Hendersonville, NC) to find these 2 boxes in what I thought would be a quick stop. The park was unassuming at first glance. There was a gravel path that seemed to border it. This path followed a river. We knew we needed to be on it in order to find the boxes. So we set out on our quick journey.
The quick journey ended up being a long and slow walk meandering quite a ways until we reached the second box. The girls and I began playing the 5 senses game.
We saw a flying fish, a rabbit running to the bushes, a chipmunk hopping across the path, a squirrel, some interesting birds, cornfields, flowers and butterflies riding the wind.
We heard the fish leap out of the river, the river, the rain, the birds, kids playing in the river, runners footsteps on the gravel and rustling in the bushes.
We smelled the bathrooms (yuck) and the rain.
We tasted the wild blackberries and the rain.
We felt the soft leaves of a lamb's ear plant, the warm summer rain on our faces and arms, the rusted metal frog we found on the bridge, and the itchy grass on the way to the cornfield where I made the girls pose for a picture.
The park had much more depth to it than I would've known about had we not had a letterbox to hunt for. Isn't that why the planter placed it there?
We didn't reach our goal of getting to 250 boxes that day. But I think the time we spent enjoying the search for those 2 boxes was worth leaving F-counts behind!

Finding Our Way

Our family has been 'finding our way' since the day my husband and I got married. Letterboxing is just another path we are taking. So far, it is one of our favorites! We have been to many unique places and met some of the best folks in the world. We have learned to be sneaky and had some wonderful adventures. Every letterbox is a story and we get to be a part of it.
Of course, the 'd' and the 't' aren't all there is to us. The 'fambly' consists of our four children and our dog 'travel dog', who occasionally boxes with us. Given time and space, you might see 'fender bender', 'large talons', 'ARK' or 'little bird' in your logbook. They are four of the greatest kids in the world!! Each of them enjoy letterboxing in their own way.
Don't worry, we will not give spoilers on this blog. But we will share the adventures in our journeys with you. We'd also like to share some of the wonderful photos we get while we are out. And you never know when there might be a hint to a clue or two on here: ) Of course, I've got to get better at my tricky clue writing first!